CMC Public Policy Process Course

This blog serves my Public Policy Process course (Claremont McKenna College Government 116) for the fall of 2013.

About the Blog

I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material. We shall use some of this material in class, and you may review the rest at your convenience. I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:

--To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;

--To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.

--To post relevant news items or videos.

There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see.

Monday, December 16, 2013

As we were all studying Kettl, Jeh C. Johnson was confirmed as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. He was previously general counsel for the DOD, where he had significant influence in national security policy.

Napolitano had a background focusing on immigration; Johnson's is on counterterrorism. He worked on drone policy and policy related to the detention of terrorists. He is also a strong proponent of the idea that the war against al Qaeda may not be over. Finally, he has criticized the secrecy of the Obama administration, particularly as it relates to drones.

Obama says, “As secretary of homeland security, Jeh will play a leading role in our efforts to protect the homeland against terrorist attacks, adapt to changing threats, stay prepared for natural disasters, strengthen our border security, and make our immigration system fairer.”

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

In preparing for the final exam, consider both the air midterm and the following practice exam. The questions on the final will be similar in form and content, though not identical.

I. Identifications. This section will ask you to write a brief paragraph explaining the meaning and significance of 12 out of 14 items from readings and class discussions (4 points each). Examples:

David Kessler

Medicaid

Negative liberty

The "Twenty Dollar Test"

Master Settlement Agreement

Generic vulnerabilities

Weighted Student Formula

Craft organization

"Connecting the dots" in intelligence

CPI

Synecdoche

Organizational cultures

Expressed v. ulterior motives

"Broken Windows"

II. Short answers. In this section, you will answer 2 out of 3 question on factual or analytical points from course material (6 points each). Each answer should take no more than half a page. Examples:

One view is that the poverty line is too high. Another is that it is too low. Another is that it is too high for some, too low for others. Explain.

What caused the 2004-2005 flu vaccine shortage?

Tell how the FCC got into the smoking issue.

III. General Essays. In this section, answer 2 of 3 questions. Each answer should take 2-3 large bluebook pages or 3-4 small bluebook pages. Each is worth 20 points each.

Fritschler and Rudder write: "In policy space [meaning] all current policies contained in one space bumping up against one another, a change in one policy increasingly impinges on many other policies, again requiring adjustments in those policies." Explain. Why does this "bumping" happen? How does it affect the process of decisionmaking? Give specific examples from the books on smoking and homeland security.

Bardach advises policymakers to seek out "best practices." Stone would say that this process is far from straightforward. Explain.

President Obama recently said, "this increasing inequality is most pronounced in our country, and it challenges the very essence of who we are as a people." Explain the difficulty of defining and measuring inequality.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Q. Mr. President, there is another health problem that seems to be causing growing concern here and abroad and I think this has largely been provoked by a series of independent scientific investigations, which have concluded that cigarette smoking and certain types of cancer and heart disease have a causal connection. I have two questions: do you and your health advisers agree or disagree with these findings, and secondly, what if anything should or can the federal Government do in the circumstances?THE PRESIDENT. That matter is sensitive enough and the stock market is in sufficient difficulty [laughter] without my giving you an answer which is not based on complete information, which I don't have and, therefore, perhaps we could--I'd be glad to respond to that question in more detail next week.